What is Automatic Emergency Braking?

(Photo Credit: Ford Motor Company)

Yesterday the U.S. Department of Transportation (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety announced that twenty of the world’s largest car manufacturers pledged to make automatic emergency braking (AEB) systems standard on all of their new vehicles starting no later than September of 2022. The NHTSA estimates that this commitment from automakers will make AEB systems standard three years sooner than through a formal regulatory process. The IIHS estimates that during those three years, standard AEB systems will prevent 28,000 rear-end collisions and 12,000 resulting injuries.

Automatic Emergency Braking is a forward collision mitigating safety feature that helps prevent or reduce the severity of collisions. AEB integrates radar/laser and cameras along with a computer that gauges a vehicle’s speed relative to an object (a slower or stopped vehicle, pedestrian, cyclist, etc.) in front of it. In the event of an imminent forward collision, the car’s AEB system warns the driver of the possible collision, using alert sounds, lights, and/or tactile feedback such as vibrating the steering wheel.

If the system detects that the driver is not doing enough to avoid hitting the object, i.e. the driver may be distracted, fatigued, or experiencing a medical problem, AEB will apply the brakes to stop the vehicle, ideally with enough time to avoid the collision, or at least greatly reduce its severity.

Currently, AEB systems are available on about a quarter of new cars, and the NHTSA now considers automatic braking in its 5-Star ratings. The IIHS requires new vehicles to come with AEBs in order to qualify for a Top Safety Pick+, the highest award possible. According to the IIHS, vehicles with an AEB system are 14 percent less likely to experience a forward collision than vehicles that do not have it equipped.